


be good for goodness sake.

by impossiblepluto



Series: have yourself a fluffy, whumpy christmas [4]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Christmas, Episode: s01e11 Scissors, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-18 06:48:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21540133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impossiblepluto/pseuds/impossiblepluto
Summary: An extended opening scene from the Season One Christmas episode 1x11 Scissors, a few conversations about trust and family.
Series: have yourself a fluffy, whumpy christmas [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1552330
Comments: 23
Kudos: 49





	be good for goodness sake.

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place a few days after yesterday's advent story, "he knows when you're wake." and immediately before the opening scene of 1x11.

Despite Mac, Bozer, and even Jack’s claims that she doesn’t need to knock, Riley shuffles on the porch. She raises her hand, poised to knock and then freezes. She bites her lip. Hard. Lowering her hand to rub against her other arm. 

She’s walked in before with no qualms. They granted permission to just walk in any time, day or night. Welcomed her into the home with open arms. They trusted her on missions and at family game nights, as Jack calls them. She was finally starting to feel like maybe she belonged. Like maybe she could trust them. Like maybe she even deserved the faith they had in her. 

It was a nice feeling. It thawed a part of her soul that had been frozen since long before supermax. Filling an ache in her chest, a gaping hole that had been there for the last ten years with something warm, and familiar. Something she never thought she’d feel again. 

Even things with Jack, rough edges that she was sure would be awkward forever are starting to smooth. 

He said he was proud of her, on that last mission. On the last several missions. Praised her quick thinking and her skill set even though she's sure he doesn't understand what she actually did.

He said he trusted her. 

She felt her heart stutter in her chest at his words. He called her family, even while she's tried to keep him at arm's length.

She should tell him what’s going on. Maybe they could help her figure this out. 

She shuffles on the porch again, debating. She takes a deep breath to steady her nerves then taps her fist against the front door. 

Footsteps cross the hardwood floors and a moment later, Bozer answers. 

A smile crosses her lips as she looks him up and down, his christmas apron has the torso and legs of an elf, his chef’s hat has reindeer antlers. 

“Thought I’d knock so I didn’t walk in on something embarrassing but…”

“Hey there Miss Grinch, don’t go hating on the elf.”

“Or the reindeer,” she flicks an antler as she walks into the house. 

“I’m gonna let that all slide, one because it’s Christmas and two because you’re just in time to step into the role of prep cook,” Bozer says, leading her into the kitchen. “You want an apron to protect your clothes? I’ve got a gingerbread man or I’ve got Santa,” he lifts the red and white apron, shaking it to make the jingle bells jangle.

“I think I’ll risk it.” 

“Your loss, but it’s here if you change your mind,” Bozer says with a shrug, jingling the apron one more time before setting it down. 

“Well, I wouldn’t want to steal Mac or Jack’s apron,” Riley says glancing around the kitchen and living room.

“I got Jack to wear the gingerbread one last year. I can’t get either of them to be Santa.”

“You got a picture of that right?” Riley smiles and Bozer whips out his phone, scrolling to the photo of Jack concentrating as he spreads icing on sugar cookies, tongue peeking out of the side of his mouth. 

“All he needs is a Santa hat and I’d think I was twelve years old again.”

“Wait, Jack wore a Santa hat?” Bozer asks in disbelief. “He hates Santa.”

“What? No, Jack loves Santa."

"Hate might be a strong word, but he doesn't believe or appreciate the man in red."

"He would dress up like him every year. Woke me up singing Santa Clause is Coming to Town, the Springsteen version,” she clarifies, because Jack was always particular. “Every morning for the whole month of December.” 

Bozer’s mouth gapes. “We have got to compare Jack stories someday. I think you’re holding out on us.”

“Think we could get him in a Santa hat again if we joined forces?” Riley asks conspiratorially.

“If Mac spikes the eggnog hard enough,” Bozer agrees after a moment’s consideration.

It’s Riley’s turn for her mouth to fall open. “It really is Mac who spikes the eggnog?”

“Oh yeah for sure, who else would it be?”

Riley shrugs. “I thought Jack was making that up, trying to keep Mac awake, or me from being too worried.” She watches Bozer pull spices from the rack, shaking and pinching their contents into a small mixing bowl. “Where are they anyway? I thought they’d be driving each other nuts with their enforced downtime.”

“They were until about an hour ago, annoying each other, and me. Mac had to go in for a check up this morning.”

“Is he alright?” Riley asks. She can’t help feeling guilty. She should have asked about him right away when she got here. Maybe if she and Jack had stopped bickering sooner on that last mission they would have noticed that Mac had been gone too long, and found him earlier. The doctors said he would be fine, praised her and Jack for their first aid, but it still hurts to think of him out in the elements, struggling to make it back to the cabin on his own, slowly freezing. 

“Yeah, he’s good. Feeling well enough to take apart the coffeemaker. Sorry, no brew this morning, unless you want some instant garbage that he keeps on hand. But his temperature is normal,” Bozer reassures, then pauses. “Or it was until Jack couldn’t check it anymore because Mac took that apart too. But no shivering or frostbite. He said it was just a routine follow up to get cleared for the field.” 

She’s sorry that Mac had to be hypothermic, but cuddling with him and Jack on that camp cot in the cabin, and then adding Bozer to the dogpile on the couch once they were home was the warmest and safest she’s felt in years. 

“Turn that frown upside down. Mac is fine. He wouldn’t dare be anything else. Not when Jack is around.” 

She’s only been part of their little family for a few months, but it’s true. As long as Jack is around Mac will always be fine. The opposite is true too. They’re practically attached at the hip, she doesn’t want to throw around words like co-dependency but if the Santa hat fits…

She absentmindedly twists the rings on her finger. A sense of longing fills her. Complete trust in another person is hard to come by, but Mac, Jack, and Bozer make her believe that maybe something like that is possible. Even for her. 

Her resolve to handle this on her own is breaking. She can feel Bozer’s eyes on her, watching her fidget nervously. She’s worried that any second he’s going to ask her what’s wrong. She’s relieved that Jack isn’t here right now. She’d probably end up spilling everything to Jack, despite the threats. He could always tell when she was upset about something. Could always get her to talk about it, even when she swore she wouldn’t. And somehow he always managed to fix things.

It’s too bad she can’t ask him for help to fix this. 

She hears Bozer take a deep breath and she steels herself for a barrage of questions. Instead, he starts talking. She lets his warm voice wash over her. Maybe things will be okay. 

“Look we all know Christmas is the most special time of the year. Families come together to celebrate in their own special way. And they’re all wrong. Cause the only right way to celebrate Christmas is with pastrami.” 

* * *

Mac is rolling down his sleeve as he enters the waiting room, smirking as it takes Jack a minute to tear his eyes away from the television playing in the corner. 

“With as intently as you were staring at the screen I was expecting McClane against Hans, not McCallister against Harry.”

“Now that’s a holiday match up I’d like to see. Die Alone…” Jack shakes his head. “Home… Hard?”

“You’d better stop before you hurt yourself,” Mac says sliding on his leather jacket.

“So what’d the doctor say?”

“What I’ve been saying for the last few days. I’m fine. Cleared for duty,” Mac reaches into his pocket to produce his medical clearance paperwork.

Jack grabs the offered document and scans it, just to be sure Mac isn’t leaving anything out.

“The official report is already heading for Thornton’s desk. That copy’s for you.”

“Aw, Mac, just what I wanted. How did you know?” Jack says, slinging an arm around Mac’s shoulders, and wishing the nurse at the admissions desk a happy holiday as they leave Phoenix Med. 

The weather is warm as they walk through the parking garage. The sun is shining, and though Riley was wishing for a white Christmas, even after their snowy adventure a few days ago, Mac is grateful he lives where the temperatures never dip below freezing.  
  
“You know, for such a big brain, you really messed this up,” Jack says as he pulls out of the Phoenix parking lot.

“What are you talking about?”

“You should have waited to do your physical until after Christmas.”

“Why? I passed.”

“I know. And now when the world needs saving from yet another supervillain we’re back in the rotation.”

“So?”

“So? So, when’s the last time we had a nice peaceful Christmas where the only explosions were from you lighting Bozer’s pastrami on fire?”

Mac shrugs. “A couple years ago, I guess.”

"See? I’m tellin’ ya, shoulda waited until the twenty-sixth, hoss.”

“But now I don’t have it hanging over my head. I can just relax and enjoy the day.”

“Well, now you did it. Just made sure that we won’t be home for Christmas.”   
  
Mac shakes his head, settling back against the seat, watching the blue skies and trying to ignore the extra frustrating LA Christmas traffic.  
  
"So," Jack clears his throat, trying to sound nonchalant and failing. "Bozer said Riley might be spending Christmas with us this year."

"Yeah, uh, he invited her," Mac says, glancing over at Jack, trying to read his expression behind his retro yellow sunglasses. "I extended an invitation too."

"Yeah, yeah, Bozer seemed pretty excited about it."

"I think he's just excited for a new audience to regale with the legend of the Christmas pastrami," Mac smirks.

"Be honest, is that why you blow up the smoker every year? So he doesn't have time to finish the tale?"

"What kind of friend do you think I am?"

Jack shrugs. "A smart one."

"Well, I don't, and if you tell him I do, I'll deny it," Mac warns. He watches the cityscape flash... crawl... past for a minute then continues. "So, how do you feel about it?"

"I mean, it's not the worst legend I've heard."

"No," Mac gives an annoyed shake of his head. "I meant, how do you feel about Riley joining us for Christmas?"

"You probably don't remember it, cause you were pretty out of it at the time, but I offered up your house as a destination for her, if she didn't have other plans."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"No, I just... I don't know."

"What's crawling around in that brain of yours?"

"I wasn't sure how you guys were doing," Mac chooses his words carefully. "One minute you're all fine and friends and it's great, but then the next things are tense between you two. That's obviously weighing you. And there's been something on her mind the last couple of weeks."

Jack rubs a hand against his beard. "You noticed that too, huh? I don't know, Mac. I love that girl but she's sure not making it easy for me."

"I doubt it's easy for her."

Jack takes his eyes off the road for a minute to look questioningly at Mac.

"You dated her mom. You beat up her dad. And then you bug out for the next ten years. Then all of a sudden, you show up, where she would least expect it and want to be part of her life again. I'm not sure how I would handle that kind of situation."

Jack sighs with a frown.

Mac holds up his hands. "Look, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, no, I value your opinion."

"It's biased."

"It's informed. You can understand where she's coming from in a way that I can't. You're right, I sure haven't shown her that she can trust me, or given her much of a reason to try. If she can't trust me and I can't trust her..."

"That's not what I'm saying. It just might take some time for you guys to figure things out. You're going to need to win her trust."

"You're right. She's like a skittish colt."

"I don't think you should compare her to a farm animal," Mac mumbles.

"Gotta give her a reason to trust me. And you know, I've got the perfect idea for how to start."

"Please don't say trust falls," Mac shakes his head as his phone buzzes.

“Dude, if that’s Thornton tell her your paperwork didn't go through yet…”

“It’s Bozer,” Mac says glancing at the screen.

“Aw, Mac, you didn't really tinker with the smoker, did ya?”

“No,” Mac protests as he answers the call, plugging one ear to try to hear the phone over Jack's rambling.

“If you blew your friend up again…”

Mac frowns pulling the phone away from his ear and putting it on speaker. “Bozer, Jack’s here, say that again.”

“One minute I’m outside, throwing the brisket on the grill,” Bozer’s voice is fast and excited as it comes through the speaker. 

“Told you to stop messing with that thing before someone really gets hurt,” Jack grumbles. 

“The next minute the smoke detector is going off.”

“Do we need to stop off for new fire extinguishers? Wouldn’t feel like Christmas if I wasn’t putting out a fire in your kitchen.”

“Bozer,” Mac interrupts, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “Jump to the end, please.”

“Riley’s gone.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Now might be a great time to rewatch Scissors?


End file.
